What is different about these two photos? (photos are forthcoming because of technical difficulties)
The bottom photo contains a paper cup, that's what's different. In a sit-in situation. This is a problem to rank with health care reform, the war in Iraq, and global warming.
When one goes to a coffeehouse and intends to sit down, I think there should be a constitutional amendment that they be given their coffee in a ceramic mug. Numerous reasons abound for this sort of legal requirement. First of all, it would cut down tremendously on waste. But more importantly, it would help revive the coffeehouse of old. It would help revive the soul of what a coffeehouse actually is. The ill-lit space awash in the haze of cigarette smoke and intellectual conversation, well worn cups being titillated by excitable fingers as animated discussion mingles with the scent of freshly brewed coffee. Maybe the cigarette smoke aspect doesn't quite apply to our American conception, but it still applies in Vienna. Maybe the politically correct description would be a space where the richly colored green and red walls are illuminated by dimly lit lamps, as jazz or alt-rock plays over an intercom, an individual kisses a cup with their lips as they read a paperback in their other hand, eyes drifting lazily to the bustle of the espresso bar.
Too dramatic.
But if I'm sitting down at an establishment, I want, nay I demand, a tangible mug to hold my coffee. It just, it just doesn't seem right to sit down with a paper cup (which is exactly what happened to me today). In England, at the Starbucks I so frequented, I was never insulted with a paper cup. In America, maybe Starbucks didn't get the memo. Or maybe Sarah and the good people of the Clumber St. Starbucks just respected me more in Notts. They obviously don't respect me here, since they chose not to hire me this summer (bad move Howard Schultz). But I haven't seen any of the mugs here in the US regardless, which is so sad. It really makes me rethink whether I truly want to live here. Coffee goes in mugs. If I wanted a paper cup, I would leave the establishment. Or I would go to Burger King and order some burned out sludge from the bottom of the pot with my Whopper.
Mugs and cups are just part of the essential pulse of coffee culture. French cafés. Italian espresso bars. American diners. Viennese coffeehouses. Though they choose to serve what is possibly one of God's most perfect drinks in different ways, they all serve them in tangible, non-paper cups. Coffee is such a unique beverage experience, it brings out so many connotations and emotions, it can't afford to be bastardized or insulted by something like a paper cup. Part of the excitement of the coffee ritual is the conversation involved, conversation that takes place in the coffeehouse or in the home. And it's not drive-thru conversation. It's "let's sit down and really talk" conversation. I mean, shit, that's what coffee is for, to allow people to just relax a bit and communicate. I think to the countless hours I spent in my Starbucks at my table, all the things I said and listened to, all over a cup of coffee, hours which are some of my most cherished memories from England. It's just what needs to happen. We can't attempt to distill the whole experience into something that can be contained by a paper cup. I mean, I could rip a paper cup in half, and I don't even have a hard body yet. It's simply outrageous. HOW CAN A PAPER CUP CONTAIN ALL THAT REAL COFFEE HAS TO OFFER?! Why is it that America is so concerned with this sort of drive-thru, we must always be convenienced and will never slow down way of life? We should take a cue from the French and learn to slow down a bit, breathe a bit deeper, chill out just a little bit more, sit down, and have a cup of coffee. In a real cup. I truly think we would be a healthier people.
Anyway, that's my rant for the day. Maybe I just miss my mug o'latte at the Notts Starbucks (which I most assuredly do, far more than is healthy), or maybe I was so incensed at the paper cup Magpie so indignantly foisted upon me, or maybe I just want to be witty and incensed at stupid things like Bill Bryson (which I do). Coffee, when drunk sitting down in an establishment, can only be properly respected in mugs or real cups. Anything less is simply unacceptable.
As a quick add on, why is it also that we Americans insult ourselves with Folgers coffee? My mom bought me some, and I was unfortunate enough to make a pot the other day. I might as well have drank a liter of toxic waste. It would have gone great with my Whopper.
Buy good coffee, take care of it, brew it well, and drink it in a mug.
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1 comment:
Brava. Encore. Have you ever considered a career in public theater? In my high school speech days that would have made a fabulous After Dinner speech that would have won an All - State medal. And I know, because I won three. Too dramatic? Absolutely. But I loved it.
I know I've said this before, but you really are quite good at writing. That first paragraph - whew! Description, detail. Ever considered taking a creative writing class? Amy Weldon could do wonders with you. And now that you've got a much larger, inflated head...
I do have to wonder though, about your closing statement, especially the bit about brewing techniques. If I remember correctly, aren't you somewhat lacking in the brewing knowledge department. I believe you even wrote another blog about it. Perhaps you could use some of your own advice. See you tomorrow! Cheers!
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